Age differences in semantic memory will be investigated using the linguistic abstraction paradigm of Bransford and Franks (1971). Preliminary investigation has suggested that current cohorts of older adults integrate semantic information as effectively as the young, show comparable retention of specific exemplar information and acquire equally precise semantic information. The present proposal will further examine age differences in semantic memory by studying the effects of formal education and the difficulty (concrete versus abstract) of the semantic information to be acquired. Age differences in the rate of loss from semantic memory will be examined across three delay periods. Finally, age differences in the retrieval of information from semantic memory will be studied by using free recall as opposed to recognition tests for the acquisition materials.